Today the road traffic estimates for Great Britain from April 2019 to March 2020 were released indicating that traffic by vehicle type and road class had decreased compared to the previous year.

Richard Baker, CEO at GeoSpock made the following comment:

“The news of a traffic decrease must be viewed through the lens of Covid-19.

“This report by no means spells the end of inefficient travel in the UK, with our transport system remaining one of the biggest dilemmas of modern times.

“With the government urging us to travel by car over public transport, our networks will be under more pressure than ever.

“To alleviate the pressure on our creaking transport system and meet the new set of challenges ahead, we must invest in the technology that allows us to collect and analyse multi-modal mobility data to inform decision making.

“From traffic movements to pedestrian flows, tube traveller densities to bus loading times, data can be fused to highlight issues and reveal their cause. With these data insights, local governments can then build an accurate picture of how to optimise travel routes, such as rerouting traffic during peak times, changing public transport frequency based on demand, or stopping public transport passengers from boarding to maintain social distancing.

It more crucial than ever that we plan for and accommodate the population’s movements in a post coronavirus UK. Forecasting trends based on surrounding data can help us to interpret behaviours and optimise infrastructure accordingly. This can make it possible to manage any future increases in road traffic effectively.”